Are Heartland RVs that bad? Many negative reviews on the net

Heartland-Smeartland lol. The facts are that 90% of what's out there is going to be on a frame made by Lippert and that's where the problems originate. Thin steel, fugly welds, questionable engineering. Sure the RV manufacturers use them, and spec them, and continue to use them, despite known issues going back years, that seem to ebb and flow like the tide. It's all about bottom line. When your foundation is junk from the get go, good luck. Nothing is changing anytime soon, hardly none are immune, so roll the dice.